| 1. |
- Cai, Huanchen, et al.
(författare)
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Effects on Voice Quality of Thyroidectomy : A Qualitative and Quantitative Study Using Voice Maps
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: This study aims to explore the effects of thyroidectomy—a surgical intervention involving the removal of the thyroid gland—on voice quality, as represented by acoustic and electroglottographic measures. Given the thyroid gland's proximity to the inferior and superior laryngeal nerves, thyroidectomy carries a potential risk of affecting vocal function. While earlier studies have documented effects on the voice range, few studies have looked at voice quality after thyroidectomy. Since voice quality effects could manifest in many ways, that a priori are unknown, we wish to apply an exploratory approach that collects many data points from several metrics.Methods: A voice-mapping analysis paradigm was applied retrospectively on a corpus of spoken and sung sentences produced by patients who had thyroid surgery. Voice quality changes were assessed objectively for 57 patients prior to surgery and 2 months after surgery, by making comparative voice maps, pre- and post-intervention, of six acoustic and electroglottographic (EGG) metrics.Results: After thyroidectomy, statistically significant changes consistent with a worsening of voice quality were observed in most metrics. For all individual metrics, however, the effect sizes were too small to be clinically relevant. Statistical clustering of the metrics helped to clarify the nature of these changes. While partial thyroidectomy demonstrated greater uniformity than did total thyroidectomy, the type of perioperative damage had no discernible impact on voice quality.ConclusionsChanges in voice quality after thyroidectomy were related mostly to increased phonatory instability in both the acoustic and EGG metrics. Clustered voice metrics exhibited a higher correlation to voice complaints than did individual voice metrics.
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| 2. |
- Cai, Huanchen, et al.
(författare)
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Mapping Phonation Types by Clustering of Multiple Metrics
- 2022
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Ingår i: Applied Sciences. - : MDPI AG. - 2076-3417. ; 12:23, s. 12092-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For voice analysis, much work has been undertaken with a multitude of acoustic and electroglottographic metrics. However, few of these have proven to be robustly correlated with physical and physiological phenomena. In particular, all metrics are affected by the fundamental frequency and sound level, making voice assessment sensitive to the recording protocol. It was investigated whether combinations of metrics, acquired over voice maps rather than with individual sustained vowels, can offer a more functional and comprehensive interpretation. For this descriptive, retrospective study, 13 men, 13 women, and 22 children were instructed to phonate on /a/ over their full voice range. Six acoustic and EGG signal features were obtained for every phonatory cycle. An unsupervised voice classification model created feature clusters, which were then displayed on voice maps. It was found that the feature clusters may be readily interpreted in terms of phonation types. For example, the typical intense voice has a high peak EGG derivative, a relatively high contact quotient, low EGG cycle-rate entropy, and a high cepstral peak prominence in the voice signal, all represented by one cluster centroid that is mapped to a given color. In a transition region between the non-contacting and contacting of the vocal folds, the combination of metrics shows a low contact quotient and relatively high entropy, which can be mapped to a different color. Based on this data set, male phonation types could be clustered into up to six categories and female and child types into four. Combining acoustic and EGG metrics resolved more categories than either kind on their own. The inter- and intra-participant distributional features are discussed.
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| 3. |
- D'Amario, Sara, et al.
(författare)
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Body motion of choral singers
- 2023
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Psychology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-1078. ; 14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent investigations on music performances have shown the relevance of singers’ body motion for pedagogical as well as performance purposes. However, little is known about how the perception of voice-matching or task complexity affects choristers’ body motion during ensemble singing. This study focussed on the body motion of choral singers who perform in duo along with a pre-recorded tune presented over a loudspeaker. Specifically, we examined the effects of the perception of voice-matching, operationalized in terms of sound spectral envelope, and task complexity on choristers’ body motion. Fifteen singers with advanced choral experience first manipulated the spectral components of a pre-recorded short tune composed for the study, by choosing the settings they felt most and least together with. Then, they performed the tune in unison (i.e., singing the same melody simultaneously) and in canon (i.e., singing the same melody but at a temporal delay) with the chosen filter settings. Motion data of the choristers’ upper body and audio of the repeated performances were collected and analyzed. Results show that the settings perceived as least together relate to extreme differences between the spectral components of the sound. The singers’ wrists and torso motion was more periodic, their upper body posture was more open, and their bodies were more distant from the music stand when singing in unison than in canon. These findings suggest that unison singing promotes an expressive-periodic motion of the upper body.
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| 4. |
- D'Amario, Sara, et al.
(författare)
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Impact of singing togetherness and task complexity on choristers' body motion
- 2023
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Ingår i: SMAC 2023. - Stockholm : KTH Royal Institute of Technology. ; , s. 146-150
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We examined the impact of the perception of singing togetherness,as indexed by the spectral envelope of the sound, and task complexity on choristers’ body motion, as they performed in duo with a pre-recorded tune presented over a loudspeaker. Fifteen experienced choral singers first manipulated the spectral filter settings of the tune in order to identify the recordings they felt most and not at all together with. Then, they sang the tune in unison and canon along with the recordings featuring the chosen filter settings. Audio and motion capture data of the musicians' upper bodies during repeated performances of the same tune were collected. Results demonstrate that wrist motion was more periodic, singer posture more open, and the overall quantity of body motion higher when singing in unison than in canon; singing togetherness did not impact body motion. The current findings suggest that some body movements may support choral performance, depending on the complexity of the task condition.
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| 5. |
- Iob, Naomi Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of Speech Characteristics on Electroglottographic and Instrumental Acoustic Voice Analysis Metrics in Women With Structural Dysphonia Before and After Treatment
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research. - : American Speech Language Hearing Association. - 1092-4388 .- 1558-9102. ; , s. 1-22
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Literature suggests a dependency of the acoustic metrics, smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPS) and harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR), on human voice loudness and fundamental frequency (fo). Even though this has been explained with different oscillatory patterns of the vocal folds, so far, it has not been specifically investigated. In the present work, the influence of three elicitation levels, calibrated sound pressure level (SPL), fo and vowel on the electroglottographic (EGG) and time-differentiated EGG (dEGG) metrics hybrid open quotient (OQ), dEGG OQ and peak dEGG, as well as on the acous-tic metrics CPPS and HNR, was examined, and their suitability for voice assess-ment was evaluated. Method: In a retrospective study, 29 women with a mean age of 25 years (± 8.9, range: 18–53) diagnosed with structural vocal fold pathologies were examined before and after voice therapy or phonosurgery. Both acoustic and EGG signals were recorded simultaneously during the phonation of the sustained vowels /ɑ/, /i/, and /u/ at three elicited levels of loudness (soft/comfortable/loud) and unconstrained fo conditions. Results: A linear mixed-model analysis showed a significant effect of elicitation effort levels on peak dEGG, HNR, and CPPS (all p < .01). Calibrated SPL significantly influenced HNR and CPPS (both p < .01). Furthermore, F0had asignificant effect on peak dEGG and CPPS (p < .0001). All metrics showed significant changes with regard to vowel (all p < .05). However, the treatment had no effect on the examined metrics, regardless of the treatment type (surgery vs. voice therapy). Conclusions: The value of the investigated metrics for voice assessment purposes when sampled without sufficient control of SPL and fo is limited, in that they are significantly influenced by the phonatory context, be it speech or elicited sustained vowels. Future studies should explore the diagnostic value of new data collation approaches such as voice mapping, which take SPL and fo effects into account.
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| 6. |
- Jers, Harald, et al.
(författare)
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Vocal Ensembles : Chapter 20
- 2022. - 1
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Ingår i: The Oxford Handbook of Music Performance, Volume 2. - : Oxford University Press. ; , s. 398-417
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A typical performance situation of a vocal ensemble or choir consists of a group of singers in a room with listeners. The choir singers on stage interact while they sing, since they also hear the sound of the neighboring singer and react accordingly. From a physical point of view, the choir singers can be regarded as sound sources. The properties of the room influence the sound and the listeners perceive the sound event as a sound receiver. Furthermore, the processes in the choir can also be described acoustically, which affects the overall performance. The room influences the timbre of the sound on their way to the audience, the receiver. Reflection, absorption, diffraction, or refraction influence the timbre in the room. The sound in a performance space can be distinguished between a near field very close to the singer and a far field. The distance at which the far field can be assumed is strongly dependent on the acoustics of the room. Especially for singers within a choir, the differentiation between those sound fields is important for hearing oneself and the other singers. The position of the singers, their directivity, and the seating position of the listener in the audience will have an influence on listener perception. Furthermore, this chapter gives background information on intonation and synchronization aspects, which are most relevant for any vocal ensemble situation. Using this knowledge, intuitive behavior and performance practice can be explained and new adaptations can be suggested for singing in vocal ensembles.
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| 7. |
- Kittimathaveenan, Kajornsak, 1983-, et al.
(författare)
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Localisation in virtual choirs : outcomes of simplified binaural rendering
- 2023
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- A virtual choir would find several uses in choral pedagogy and research, but it would need a relatively small computational footprint for wide uptake. On the premise that very accurate localisation might not be needed for virtual rendering of the character of the sound inside an ensemble of singers, a localisation test was conducted using binaural stimuli created using a simplified approach, with parametrically controlled delays and variable low-pass filters (historically known as a ‘shuffler’ circuit) instead of head-related impulse responses. The direct sound from a monophonic anechoic recording of a soprano was processed (1) by sending it to a reverb algorithm for making a room-acoustic diffuse field with unchanging properties, (2) with a second-order low-pass filter with a cut-off frequency descending to 3 kHz for sources from behind, (3) with second-order low-pass head-shading filters with an angle-dependent cut-off frequency for the left/right lateral shadings of the head, and (4) with the gain of the direct sound being inversely proportional to virtual distance. The recorded singer was modelled as always facing the listener; no frequency-dependent directivity was implemented. Binaural stimuli corresponding to 24 different singer positions (8 angles and 3 distances) were synthesized. 30 participants heard the stimuli in randomized order, and indicated the perceived location of the singer on polar plot response sheets, with categories to indicate the possible responses. The listeners’ discrimination of the distance categories 0.5, 1 and 2 meters (1 correct out of 3 possible) was good, at about 80% correct. Discrimination of the angle of incidence, in 45-degreecategories (1 correct out of 8 possible) was fair, at 47% correct. Angle errors were mostly on the ‘cone of confusion’ (back-front symmetry), suggesting that the back-front cue was not very salient. The correct back-front responses (about 50%) dominated only somewhat over the incorrect ones (about 38%). In an ongoing follow-up study, multi-singer scenarios will be tested, and a more detailed yet still parametric filtering scheme will be explored.
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| 8. |
- Körner Gustafsson, Joakim, et al.
(författare)
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Treatment of Hypophonia in Parkinson’s Disease Through Biofeedback in Daily Life Administered with A Portable Voice Accumulator
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 38:3, s. 800.e27-800.e38
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to assess the outcome following continuous tactile biofeedback of voice sound level administered, with a portable voice accumulator to individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD).MethodNine out of 16 participants with PD completed a 4-week intervention program where biofeedback of voice sound level was administered with the portable voice accumulator VoxLog during speech in daily life. The feedback, a tactile vibration signal from the device, was activated when the wearer used a voice sound level below an individually predetermined threshold level, reminding the wearer to increase voice sound level during speech. Voice use was registered in daily life with the VoxLog during the intervention period as well as during one baseline week, one follow-up week post intervention and 1 week 3 months post intervention. Self-to-other ratio (SOR), which is the difference between voice sound level and environmental noise, was studied in multiple noise ranges.ResultsA significant increase in SOR across all noise ranges of 2.28 dB (SD: 0.55) was seen for participants with scores above the cut-off for normal function (>26 points) on the cognitive screening test Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) (n = 5). No significant increase was seen for the group of participants with MoCA scores below 26 (n = 4). Forty-four percent ended their participation early, all which scored below 26 on MoCA (n = 7).ConclusionsBiofeedback administered in daily life regarding voice level may help individuals with PD to increase their voice sound level in relation to environmental noise in daily life, but only for a limited subset. Only participants with normal cognitive function as screened by MoCA improved their voice sound level in relation to environmental noise.
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| 9. |
- Lã, Filipa M.B. 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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Flow ball-assisted voice training : Immediate effects on vocal fold contacting
- 2020
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Ingår i: Biomedical Signal Processing and Control. - : Elsevier. - 1746-8094 .- 1746-8108. ; 62
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Effects of exercises using a tool that promotes a semi-occluded artificially elongated vocal tract with real-time visual feedback of airflow – the flow ball – were tested using voice maps of EGG time-domain metrics. Methods: Ten classically trained singers (5 males and 5 females) were asked to sing messa di voce exercises on eight scale tones, performed in three consecutive conditions: baseline (‘before’), flow ball phonation (‘during’), and again without the flow ball (‘after’). These conditions were repeated eight times in a row: one scale tone at a time, on an ascending whole tone scale. Audio and electroglottographic signals were recorded using a Laryngograph microprocessor. Vocal fold contacting was assessed using three time-domain metrics of the EGG waveform, using FonaDyn. The quotient of contact by integration, Qci, the normalized peak derivative, QΔ, and the index of contacting Ic, were quantified and compared between ‘before’ and ‘after’ conditions. Results: Effects of flow ball exercises depended on singers’ habitual phonatory behaviours and on the position in the voice range. As computed over the entire range of the task, Qci was reduced by about 2% in five of ten singers. QΔ was 2–6% lower in six of the singers, and 3–4% higher only in the two bass-baritones. Ic decreased by almost 4% in all singers. Conclusion: Overall, vocal adduction was reduced and a gentler vocal fold collision was observed for the ‘after’ conditions. Significance: Flow ball exercises may contribute to the modification of phonatory behaviours of vocal pressedness.
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| 10. |
- Nix, John, et al.
(författare)
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Acoustical, psychoacoustical, and pedagogical considerations for choral singing with covid-19 health measures
- 2020
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Ingår i: Choral Journal. - Oklahoma City : American Choral Directors Association. - 0009-5028 .- 2163-2170. ; 61:3, s. 32-40
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on many aspects of daily life. Accepted means for safely gathering persons for any activity include meeting outdoors if possible, maintaining 2 or more meters (6 feet) physical distance between persons, using high ventilation rates (preferably natural ventilation) to provide multiple air changes per hour if indoors, and wearing masks to prevent the spread of larger droplets. However, applying these health practices to choral singing has significant implications for the nature of the sound a choir creates, the perception of the choir’s sound both within and outside of the choir, and the vocal production of the singers. In this article, we hope to examine a few of these implications in more detail and to provide some suggestions for how best to respond, based on prior research in the acoustics and psychoacoustics of choral singing, stressing as always that observing necessary health measures is paramount.
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